Portable baby changing station for use in automobiles

ABSTRACT

A portable baby changing station fabricated from a soft, flexible material for changing diapers in automobiles. When fully extended, it provides a soft surface to rest a baby while changing a diaper. In this mode, the head end is affixed to the rear portion of the back seat by a fastener such as Velcro. One or more netted pockets are positioned at the head end to hold diapers and changing supplies. Once the baby has a new diaper, the changing station folds up into a compact shape while remaining fastened to the back seat. It is held in the closed position by fasteners such as Velcro or snaps. It is always affixed to the automobile, and always ready to unfold.

CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of and claims priority in U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 14/134,666, filed Dec. 19, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No.8,732,873, issued May 27, 2014, which is a continuation of and claimspriority in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/129,680, filed May 30,2008, now abandoned. The material contained in this present applicationwas first taught and disclosed in its entirety in U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application 60/916,173, filed May 4, 2007. The contents of all ofthe aforementioned applications are incorporated by reference herein intheir entireties.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This application relates to a diaper changing station and morespecifically to a diaper changing station to be used within a motorvehicle's interior space when the vehicle is stationary.

2. Background and Description of the Related Art

Baby changing stations are in common use in the United States and inmany other countries. Their primary objective is to provide a surfaceupon which a baby can rest, said surface being situated at a convenientposition to facilitate changing the baby's diaper. Most stations areusually located in home nurseries and in public restrooms. Their primaryobjective is to place the baby resting surface at a convenient height.The surface may or may not have a soft pad or mattress upon which thebaby can rest. However, the changing stations described above, whilethey can be mobile, are not portable. Examples of restroom orwall-mounted changing stations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos.5,754,999, 6,049,928, 6,055,688, and 6,859,966 all issued toHelmsderfer, U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,737 issued to Henninge, U.S. Pat. No.6,256,803 issued to Sauerbrei, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,131,155 issued toFernandez. In addition, they were disclosed in U.S. Patent ApplicationPublication Nos. 2004/0078859 and 2005/0138735, both by Helmsderfer.U.S. Design Pat. No. 0302,088 issued to Burt as well as 0378,966 and0391,794 both issued to Helmsderfer show the appearance of suchwall-mounted stations.

Portable baby changing stations have also been disclosed in U.S. patentliterature. When people travel with babies, it is generally undesirableto rest a baby on a desk, table, or floor or directly on an automobileseat in order to change a diaper. It is certainly unacceptable to restthe baby on the ground. An example of a portable baby changing stationfor general use while traveling is U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,277 issued toLim. Here, Lim discloses a nappy or diaper changing bag is made from asoft quilted plastic material and comprises two closable storagecompartments connected at their undersides by a mat on which the babybeing changed is placed. It is carried as a tote bag, and it unfolds tocreate the changing station. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,327,726 issued to Weber,the inventor disclosed a soft baby changing station having utilitypockets that is used as a hammock between two rows of seats in anautomobile. U.S. Pat. No. 6,421,856 issued to Furnback discloses a rigidautomobile changing station. U.S. Pat. No. 6,497,441 issued to Mahmood,et. al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,588,821 issued to Worrell, et. al. bothdisclose the same rigid changing station designed to be used in avehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,838 issued to Johnson discloses a cushionfor use with sloped vehicle seats, to provide a substantially level andhorizontal surface upon which to change infant's diapers.

Parents travel with infants on a daily basis both on short and longtrips. They take their children to the supermarket, the mall, the beautysalon, etc. The automobile stations noted above need to be mounted inthe automobile, and are not very convenient to use. The nappy changingstation of Lim that converts to a tote bag is considerably moreconvenient, but is still bulky. An active mother who takes her baby withher on all her daily errands must be prepared to change diapers often.The safest, cleanest and easiest place for her to change the diaper isin the comfort of her car. A baby changing station needs to be soft andflexible and should be able to be rolled for storage and unrolled forchanging diapers. The changing station should be able to be placed on anautomobile seat or on the rear inside surface of a hatchback or SUV. Itshould also have pockets for diapers, wipes, baby ointments, etc.However, it should be able to be affixed to the car so that a parent canleave the house without a diaper bag, knowing that if the baby needs achange, the supplies are already in the car.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a soft flexible mat with pockets that can beunrolled for changing a baby's diaper and can be rolled for convenientstorage. Once rolled, it has a fastening element that will retain therolled condition. The fastening element may be, but is not limited to,fabric hook-and-loop fasteners such as Velcro. Another fastening elementcan affix the changing station to a hatch back portion of an SUV,minivan, or station wagon. Yet another fastening element can affix thechanging station to a convenient handle within the vehicle for storage.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of the baby changing station.

FIG. 2 is a bottom plan view of the baby changing station.

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the baby changing station.

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the front of the baby changing stationmostly unfolded.

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the front of the baby changing stationpartially folded.

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the front of the baby changing stationfully folded.

FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the rear of the baby changing stationfully folded.

FIG. 8 is an isometric view of the closed fully folded baby changingstation attached to the rear seat of a station wagon or hatchbackautomobile.

FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the unfolded baby changing stationattached to the rear seat of a station wagon or hatchback automobile.

FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the unfolded baby changing stationattached to the side of the rear compartment of a station wagon orhatchback automobile.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS I. Introduction andEnvironment

As required, detailed aspects of the disclosed subject matter aredisclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosedaspects are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied invarious forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional detailsdisclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as abasis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching oneskilled in the art how to variously employ the present invention invirtually any appropriately detailed structure.

Certain terminology will be used in the following description forconvenience in reference only and will not be limiting. For example, up,base, front, back, right and left refer to the invention as oriented inthe view being referred to. The words “inwardly” and “outwardly” referto directions toward and away from, respectively, the geometric centerof the embodiment being described and designated parts thereof.Forwardly and rearwardly are generally in reference to the direction oftravel, if appropriate. Said terminology will include the wordsspecifically mentioned, derivatives thereof and words of similar meaning

II. Preferred Embodiment

FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 show the baby changing station 10 of the presentinvention in the open position which allows the baby to be changed.FIGS. 1 and 2 are top and bottom plan views, while FIG. 3 is anelevation illustrating the fastening element 40 which is shown as Velcromaterial. The changing station 10 is constructed from a soft flexiblematerial 20 such as vinyl or nylon. Fastening element 30 is a strip ofVelcro loop material (stiff side) while fastening element 40 is a stripof Velcro hook material (softer side). When folded along the two foldlines 50, the changing station folds into the compact form shown in theisometric views of FIGS. 6 and 7. Shown in FIG. 4 is a fastening flap 25that holds the device in the folded position. The fastening flap 25 maycomprise strips of hook-and-loop fastening fabrics, 30 and 40, but isnot limited this type of fastening. For example, a snap may be used tomaintain the device in its folded position. FIGS. 4, 5, 6, and 7 areisometric views of the baby changing station. FIG. 4 shows the changingstation in the open position ready to facilitate changing the baby'sdiaper, as it would be used when attached to a vertical member in therear of a station wagon or hatchback automobile. The accessories aremounted vertically, while the baby is placed on the horizontal portion.FIG. 5 shows the device when partially folded. FIG. 6 shows the front ofthe device when fully folded, while FIG. 7 shows the rear of the devicewhen fully folded. In FIG. 7, note the two hook-and-loop strips that maybe used to attach the device to a seat or vertical member in the rear ofthe automobile. Referring to FIG. 1, a single pocket 60 is shown.However, as shown in FIG. 4, multiple pockets 60 may be placed inconvenient positions on the device. The pocket 60 is also shown in FIGS.9 and 10 to contain a diaper 70. Note that the fastening flap may graspa handle on the rear seat of the vehicle as an alternate means ofattaching the device to the rear seat. FIGS. 8 and 9 show the deviceattached to the back of the rear seat of the automobile. FIG. 10 showsthe device attached to the side of the rear compartment of theautomobile.

Typical dimensions of the device will be between 3 and 3½ feet long bybetween 1 foot to 1¼ feet wide. It will have netted nylon pockets 60 anda Velcro closure. There will be three pockets. Two pockets will besix-inches each, and the third pocket will be two-inches. It will alsohave a double-sided Velcro tab to keep the device fastened to theautomobile.

The baby changing station 10 can be affixed to the hatch back portion ofan SUV, minivan, or station wagon using double-sided Velcro or someother detachable fastener. Once attached to the hatch, the device may beunfastened and unfolded to be used for changing. The baby can then beplaced on the unfolded top surface 20, and the pockets 60 will beaccessible to retrieve a diaper 70, a wipe, or ointment. Once done, theparent can wipe the changing station clean, fold it up, and leave itattached to the car for next time.

While the design is best suited for an automobile with a hatch such asan SUV, station wagon, cross-over vehicle, etc., it can also be used ina sedan. The changing station can be stored in the rear seat pocket andlaid out on the back seat or on the front passenger seat (if the frontseat is a couch rather than a pair of bucket seats) for diaper changing.Another option would be to unfold the baby changing station on the floorof the back seat.

It is to be understood that while certain aspects of the disclosedsubject matter have been shown and described, the disclosed subjectmatter is not limited thereto and encompasses various other embodimentsand aspects.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:
 1. A method of deploying a diaperchanging station within a motor vehicle, the method comprising thesteps: placing a first portion of a diaper changing station against asubstantially vertical interior portion of a stationary motor vehiclesuch that said diaper changing station is in a first, stowed,orientation; said first portion comprising an upper first end and alower second end; unfolding a second portion away from said firstportion of said diaper changing station such that said second portion isplaced against a substantially horizontal interior portion of said motorvehicle; said second portion comprising a first end and a second end,wherein said second portion is foldably attached along its first end tothe lower second end of the first portion; unfolding a third portionaway from said second portion of said diaper changing station such thatsaid third portion is placed against said substantially horizontalinterior portion of said motor vehicle, and such that said diaperchanging station is in a second, operable position; and said thirdportion comprising a first end and a second end, wherein said thirdportion is foldably attached along its first end to the second end ofthe second portion.
 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein saidfirst portion further comprises a foldable flap member foldably attachedto the upper first end of said first potion, said foldable flap memberconfigured for securing the changing station into a folded,substantially vertical, stowed position and for unsecuring the diaperchanging station into an unfolded, extended, operable position.
 3. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising the steps: said firstportion of said diaper changing station further comprising a firstportion of a coupling element; said vertical interior portion of saidstationary motor vehicle further comprising a second coupling element;and removably attaching said first portion of said diaper changingstation to said vertical interior portion of said stationary motorvehicle further by connecting said first coupling element to said secondcoupling element.
 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein saidvertical interior portion of said stationary motor vehicle is the rearface of said vehicle's seat.
 5. The method according to claim 3, whereinsaid vertical interior portion of said stationary motor vehicle is theinterior face of a vehicle wall panel.
 6. The method according to claim1, further comprising the steps: said third portion of said diaperchanging station further comprising a first coupling element; saidhorizontal interior portion of said stationary motor vehicle furthercomprising a second coupling element; and removably attaching said thirdportion of said diaper changing station to said vertical interiorportion of said stationary motor vehicle further by connecting saidfirst coupling element to said second coupling element.
 7. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein said diaper changing station is furthercomprised of an inner layer of flexible, padded material substantiallysurrounded by a durable, washable, outer lining.
 8. The method accordingto claim 7, wherein said outer lining comprises a material selected fromthe list comprising: plastic, vinyl, and nylon.
 9. The method accordingto claim 1, further comprising the steps: changing a diaper while saiddiaper changing station is in said second, operable orientation; foldingsaid third portion of said diaper changing station against said secondportion of said diaper changing station; folding the combination ofsecond portion and third portion of said diaper changing station againstsaid first portion of said diaper changing station; detaching said firstportion of said diaper changing station from said vertical interiorportion; and storing said diaper changing station within said stationarymotor vehicle.
 10. The method according to claim 9, further comprisingthe steps: wherein said diaper changing station further comprises afoldable flap member having a first portion and a second portion,wherein said first portion is comprised of a first coupling element andthe second portion is further comprised of a second coupling element;detachably attaching the first coupling element to the second couplingelement; and securing said second portion and said third portion of saiddiaper changing station against said first portion of said diaperchanging station in a substantially vertical position with said foldableflap member.
 11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said firstportion of said diaper changing station comprises a pocket.
 12. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein said second portion of said diaperchanging station includes a pocket.
 13. The method according to claim 1,wherein said third portion of said diaper changing station includes apocket.